Summer Of Love And Math
by 4ElementGirl
Summary: Olga has come back from Alaska, with a goal to help the barely passing soon-to-be freshmen Algebra I students build up their foundations...in summer school. Of course, Helga gets dragged along with it, being in all honors classes, and it just so happens that a certain football headed boy is in the class too! What could happen...? Rated T to be safe.
1. And So It Begins

**Hey Hey Hey :)**

**This was something that I thought about over the summer, in summer school (yes, summer school) and believe it or not, it spewed this idea. I decided to post this here before I forget it...again. That and we need something warm to read in the butt-freezing weather. Rated T to be safe, y'll! (And the first real story to be.)**

**I think you got an idea about what it's about from the title ;) and leave a review to tell me what you think!**

* * *

Ah, summer. Two full months of pure, undiluted fun for everyone. Bright, warm sunlight with air that wraps you up like a blanket, everyone out on the streets enjoying the school free vacation with parks, movies, swimming and so many more activities that's only great if you can celebrate it in the summer. Yup, everyone's having fun.

"Criminy, Olga, drive slower, will ya?" Helga shouted over the ridiculously annoying Madonna song that blared from the speakers. "I'm not made of iron!"

Well, almost everyone...

Olga turned down the music just as a pothole hit, bumping Helga in the head as she laid across the seats. "Sorry baby sister!"

Muttering obscenities under her breath, Helga pulled herself back up the seat, buckling herself in properly.

"So, Helga, are you ready?" Olga cheerfully said, pulling into the parking lot of the YMMA. "I can't wait!"

Helga remained silent, clicking her phone to play Annoyed Ducks. "For what?" she glared into the phone.

"For teaching to unfortunate little angels that couldn't understand the joy of learning, silly."

Helga grunted, losing her game and switching the phone off. "Nothing says 'joy' more than Algebra."

Olga hopped out of the car, teaching supplies filled her hands to the brim. "That's the sprirt! Now come on, baby sister, let's start teaching!" She walked into the building a smile on her face and her heart full of happiness.

"Criminy, what a sap." Helga jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind her. "And now I'm stuck with her for the whole summer!"

After graduating middle school saludictorian and in the honor roll with grades of at least 80%, Bob was convinced that "Well, Missy, Olga must be doing some good on you." and had forced her to join Olga in her expedition to teach summer school for 5 hours everyday, much to Helga's anger. Plus, to fuel the fire, Phoebe had taken a vacation to Japan and for the first summer as long as she could remember, Pheobe wasn't with her.

Entering the building with her bag on her shoulder and an indifferent look on her features, Helga walked into a room that her sister was currently fixing up.

"Baby sister, there's a desk over there if you need to use it," Olga commented, still decorating the room up.

"Great." She carried a chair from the back of the room and let it drop to the carpet with a thud. With that, she plopped herself in, leaning against the whiteboard and desk, finally trying to master the game that was 'Annoyed Ducks'.

* * *

As the students stepped into the class, Helga gave a few momentary gazes before returning to her game, then eventually, music. Everyone was obviously bored and wanted summer school to be over with. The blonde-haired rebellion let herself get lost in the world of music when a familiar voice pulled her back to Earth.

"Helga?"

She turned to look at him, pulling an ear bud out with a semi-surprised expression.

"Hey," she muttered nonchalantly, even though her heart was beating twice as fast in his presence. Taking in his blue t-shirt and his red shorts that finely sculpted his lean body, and he involuntarily took in toned stomach and blossoming B-cups at her currently slanting figure, "How's it going?"

Of course, she had seen her sister's roster of who was attending the class and was surprised- no, shocked- the golden boy was attending the dreaded 'summer school', but all shock subsided after she learned that she was going to spend the whole summer (6 weeks) with the boy who stole her heart from preschool.

"Why are you here, football head?" she played dumb when he didn't respond, casually scrolling through her h-Phone, looking for another song to play.

"I'm here for the summer math program. Are you going here too?"

Helga scoffed, "Are you kidding me, Arnoldo? I wouldn't be caught dead studying math for six full weeks."

"Then why are you here?"

"Where have YOU been, football head? I graduated second, right after Phoebe, with all around honors in middle school. The only reason why I'm here is because I was forced to help Ol-ga and you clods learn math, doi. Do you think I actually would be here?"

"Well..."

"Exactly hair-boy, could I have some alone time?"

"Fine." He went to the back of the class, avoiding her glare.

_Oh, my flaxen haired angel, why must I push you away?_

* * *

**That's it for now. Feel free to tell me what you think.**


	2. Solve for x: Green Eyed Arnold

**Wow, I've been gone a while, haven't I? Sorry, but this feels easier to write in the summer, hence the title. But I haven't forgotten my other stories, so sit tight and enjoy!**

* * *

Helga sat crossed legged, blankly staring at the board as Olga droned on and on about the properties of x and the like. She pulled out her new discreet black notebook and started jotting down a multitude of poems about her beloved.

_APS, a name so sweet, it's beauty diluted only it's initials._

_Those three words give the embodiment of a perfect soul-_

"Helga!"

She snapped up from her work, a fresh scowl on her face, "What?" She snapped, closing her book shut.

"Can you explain the problem to your little friends?" Olga asked, carefully placing her marker down, "I thought it might help if someone their age could explain and solve it." She walked over to her seat and sat down, patiently waiting for her sister.

Helga groaned, hiding her poem book and heading up to the front of the board. The equation read 2x-14≤ 28. She cleared her throat.

"All right, listen up buckos," She picked up a green marker, circling the equation, "This reads two x minus fourteen is less than or equal to twenty eight. The first step is to balance out the equation by either subtracting the two x or adding the negative fourteen and moving it over to the side with the twenty eight. For the sake of simplicity-"

A hand shot up.

Helga glared. "What?"

"Why do you have to add the negative fourteen?" Arnold curiously asked, "Why not subtract the twenty eight on both sides and solve from there?"

"Because football head," She said, ignoring the chuckles from the group as she solved the first step, "We want to make things as simple as possible. Moving the twenty eight to the other side will take more time to solve, and the less time spent on this the better. As for the negative fourteen, it's easier to add it to 28 and solve. Plus, it's less time consuming. That answer your question?"

Arnold looked into her eyes for a second, then slowly nodded.

Helga felt a smile creeping up on her face but quickly nodded it off, pointing to the first step. "Adding fourteen to both sides forms the equation 2x≤42." She turned to the board and started writing, "For the second step, you need to divide two x by 2 and forty two by two." She underlined 2x and 42 and put a two under each of them. "Now-"

"Isn't the equation solved already? Why divide by two?"

Helga suppressed a growl of frustration before she turned around, facing someone she never thought she would see. Her eyes slightly widened at recognition.

David Waters, third in their graduating class, right after Helga. He was a good friend of Phoebe's and she introduced him to her near the beginning of the school year, soon realizing that they had many similar interests: pork chops, Wrestlemania, pastrami sandwiches and hatred of strawberries. They hung out almost every day and Helga was starting to think she had slight feelings for him.

_Maybe he came in late,_ She thought, putting on a playful smirk,_ that's why I didn't see him earlier. Or was it when I was talking to the football head? _

"Well, smartass, you should know. You were in the top ten graduates."

He flushed, chuckling. "But I suck at math and you know it."

While David was gifted in almost all subjects (even reaching Helga's passion for English), Math seemed to confuse him to no end.

"Well, I guess you can't be the best at everything," Helga said, leaning against the whiteboard, hands on her hips, "Which is why Pheebs and I graduated first."

"Well," David said, drawing out the word as he knew it would annoy her, "I beat you social studies, so I think-"

"Are you guys done?" A voice called, interrupting him, "Can we finish this lesson today?"

Helga flushed red and turned to the board, continuing the lesson but it was all but drowned out to a certain football headed boy, who could feel his blood heating up, anger, confusion and sadness as motivation.

_I always knew she had a good side,_ he thought as he wrote the explanation on his paper, _but why couldn't she open up to me? Why that guy? _He frowned, but continued his work as Olga resumed teaching.

* * *

After the class was over, Helga approached David, tapped him on the shoulder and looked away.

"Helga," He deadpanned, looking over to an oh-too-obvious Helga, "I know it was you."

"Nope," She laughed, "You're just imagining things again, David. Better start those meds again."

_How she raided my medicine cabinet I'll never know._ He sighed with a smile, knowing he could never win against Helga Pataki. "So, are you walking home?"

Helga glanced around at the near empty classroom, only but a few still arranging and packing up their stuff.

"Sure, I'm sure Olga won't mind," She said, swinging her bag (making sure her book was safely tucked inside) over her shoulder, "Let's go." They walked out of the classroom.

As the pair retreated down the path home, however, two green eyes stared out the window in envy...

* * *

**Wow, I'm *counts months on fingers* eight months late. A new record, I believe. Well, I'm not going to give an excuse but...does life count?**

**Anyways, Review! Please?**


	3. Decisions, Decisions

**Wow, this is the fastest I've updated in...well, a long time, ok? Just enjoy this, cause I am! By the way, anyone notice how ugly Olga looked in that photo Bob held up when she was Helga's age in the spelling bee episode? Hope I'm not the only person who caught that. **

**Anyway, onward march!**

* * *

Helga stepped out into the warm summer day, almost skipping as she moved along. This summer went from almost unbearable to fun. She grinned, looking over at David, who ran his hair through is unusual reddish brown locks. She stared into is icy blue eyes and a small part of her wondered what it would be like to stare into those eyes all the time. The corner of her lips turned upwards in an even wider smile.

"What's with the grin, Joker?" David asked, smirking as Helga turned away in a blush.

Rubbing her right arm she countered softly, "Don't scare me like that,"_ I can't believe I got caught staring at him! Criminy Helga, what must he be thinking? S_he stared at the ground, hoping against hope that her blush would dissipate.

He chuckled, giving her a small shoulder hug. As if he read her mind, he continued, "Don't worry about it Hellie."

Helga smirked, lightly punching his arm, "Don't get too comfortable, Waters. I'm still Big Bad Pataki."

David rolled his eyes, "I'm shaking," He said in false fear, shaking his hands to boot.

Helga just sighed. "What brings you to the wonderful world of summer school? Is this for real or are you just bored?"

He groaned, rubbing his scalp, "I wish, our math teacher said if I want to go into Geometry freshman year, I need to pass this. Otherwise, I'll be saying hello to Algebra 1...again."

"Criminy," She shook her head, "How'd you even get into accelerated math in the first place?"

"You know, math was so easy back then, before letters came into play." Helga laughed, "So is 1+1=2."

"It's true," He continued, a bit defensive, "And nearly half the class passed, to be fair."

Helga nodded in agreement, "You have a point there bucko. That test was almost too easy. If Sid of all people aced it..."

David smiled. "Yeah."

"What's so important about being in accel anyway, David? You can always take Geometry in sophomore year, it's not that big a deal."

_If only she knew..._ "It kinda is. You know, collages and stuff."

Helga shrugged. "If you think so."

"I know so."

While the two continued their meaningless chatter, a figure watched at a distance enviously...

* * *

"Hey Shortman!" Grandpa called as Arnold walked in, almost slamming the door in anger and jealousy, "How was that summer school thing you're doing?"

Arnold shrugged, trying to put on a smile. "It's OK, but Ms. Pataki gives out a lot of homework," He pulled out three double-sided worksheets.

"Ah, don't worry Arnold, you'll find a way to do it all." At that moment he felt a rumbling in his lower abdomen. Grandpa gripped it, saying, "Now to head to my office. Ask your parents for help if you need any!" With that he rushed off.

Arnold sighed happily, heading up to his room. _My parents..._

After three years, it still came as a surprise to him, after almost nine years of them out of his life. For the first couple of months, he wanted nothing more than to never leave their side, for fear that they would leave his life again.

To his surprise and delight, they always asked how is day was, and took and interest in his hobbies. Of course, they did have the occasional disagreement and quarrel, but they always overcame it in the end.

"Hey Arnold. Back from school already?" Stella stepped out, drying her hands with a dish towel. "I thought I heard your Grandpa rushing off to his office again."

Arnold gave an unenthusiastic nod, letting out a deep sigh. "Yeah."

Stella sensed her son's conflicting emotions. "Do you want to talk Arnold? I have some cookies."

He gave a slight smirk, "Do they have sparkles in them?"

She shook her head, looking wistfully into the distance. "Which is why we don't let your Grandma bake anymore."

The football headed boy cracked a smile at this, and followed his mother into the kitchen.

* * *

"So tell me," Stella asked as her son bit into a chocolate chip cookie, "How come you're so...down?"

Arnold swallowed, tapping his fingers on the table as a bright red blush appeared on his cheeks. "Umm... It's about a girl..."

"I had a feeling. So who is she? Do I know her?," She sipped her glass of milk.

Arnold nodded, "Yeah, she kinda helped me find you guys."

"Helga Pataki?"

Arnold bit his lip, and Stella took this as a sign to continue. "You mean the sweet little girl with the pink bow."

"Yeah. She told me she liked me some time ago, but I'm not sure if she meant it, or if it was never the truth at all We kinda pushed it to the side after that. Plus, she's hanging out with this guy and she really seems to like him and I'm worried. What if I never get the chance to tell her how much I care about her?"

"Well," She dipped her cookie in her milk glass, "If she really cares about you, you should let her go. If you two become friends again, then maybe it can lead to something more."

Arnold chewed the last of his cookie, nodding.

"Well, I better start making lunch," She glanced at the clock, which read a quarter to three, "Your father is coming home for his lunch break soon. Come down around three thirty, OK?"

Nodding, Arnold grabbed his bag and headed up the stairs, the advice reeling in his mind. While he trusted is mother, he felt it wouldn't hurt if he got more than one person's opinion on the matter.

* * *

**Hang in there guys, I will update 'TSLOHP' soon! Just give me some time.**

**But in the meantime, REVIEW!**


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